2000
#12,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,325
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Tavera
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Tavera, derived from the Latin "taberna".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,600 Americans carry the last name Tavera. That puts it at #9,835 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,210 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tavera surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 95,210
Census rank
#9,835
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,139 bearers of the surname Tavera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9835th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tavera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tavera
The surname Tavera has its origins in Spain, emerging in the 14th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "tabaira," meaning a type of barrel or cask used for storing liquids like wine or olive oil. This suggests the name may have been initially associated with coopers or barrel makers.
One of the earliest known mentions of the Tavera name can be found in the records of Castile, where a Juan Tavera is documented as serving in the court of King Juan II in the 1400s. The name is also present in historical documents from Andalusia and Extremadura during this period.
In the 16th century, Juan Tavera (1472-1545), a prominent Spanish cardinal and statesman, rose to prominence. He served as the Archbishop of Toledo and played a significant role in the political affairs of the Spanish Empire under Charles V.
Another notable figure with this surname was Juan Bautista Tavera (1556-1641), a Spanish military commander and governor of the Philippines from 1626 to 1632. His administration was marked by efforts to fortify the islands against Dutch invasion.
In the 18th century, Pedro Tavera (1720-1793) was a Spanish architect and engineer who contributed to the construction of several notable buildings in Madrid, including the Royal Palace.
The Tavera name also has a presence in Latin American history. José María Tavera (1804-1866) was a Peruvian military officer and politician who served as the President of Peru from 1851 to 1855.
While the Tavera surname originated in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including parts of Latin America and the Philippines, due to Spanish colonization and migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tavera
Among Census respondents with the surname Tavera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Tavera bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Tavera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.1% · 2,923
- White4.4% · 139
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 45
- Two or more races0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tavera
Tavera appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,455
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,441
+1,116 bearers (+48.0%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 2,818 places
2020
#9,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,139
-302 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 380 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,273 | 2,325 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,455 | 3,441 | 1.17 | +1,116 bearers (+48.0%) | Up 2,818 places |
| 2020 | #9,835 | 3,139 | 1.05 | -302 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 380 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Tavera surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,455 | #9,835 | -4.0% |
| Count | 3,441 | 3,139 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.05 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tavera bearers went from 3,441 to 3,139 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 380 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,455 to #9,835.
FAQ
Tavera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tavera?
Name Census estimates that about 3,600 living Americans carry the surname Tavera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,210 residents.
How common is Tavera?
Tavera ranks #9,835 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,139 people with the surname Tavera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,600), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Tavera.
Has Tavera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tavera went from 3,441 recorded bearers to 3,139. That is a decrease of 302 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,455 to #9,835.
What does the Census say about the background of Tavera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tavera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tavera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (2,923 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tavera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.1%), White (4.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Tavera (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Tavera mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Tavera, derived from the Latin "taberna". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Tavera (1.05 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Tavera?
Want to know how common the surname Tavera is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.